Texas AG: Guns allowed in churches

1of 4Attorney General Ken Paxton wrote in a legal opinion that he interprets state law as allowing handgun license holder to carry their weapon into a church unless the church “provides effective oral or written notice prohibiting the carrying of handguns on its property … as the law allows.”Photo: Cuate Santos /Laredo Morning Times

2of 4Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick requested the opinion in the wake of the mass shooting at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs where Devin Patrick Kelley sprayed bullets across the outside of the church before entering the building and shooting congregants, many of whom huddled under pews for protection. Shown are some of the 26 crosses memorializing those killed.Photo: Edward A. Ornelas /San Antonio Express-News

3of 4Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackitt Jr. walks past the front doors of the First Baptist Church Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas. A man opened fire inside the church in the small South Texas community on Sunday, killing more than two dozen and injuring others. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)Photo: David J. Phillip, STF / Associated Press

4of 4FILE - This undated file photo provided by the Texas Department of Public Safety shows Devin Patrick Kelley, the suspect in the shooting at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017. The Air Force says its failure to report the criminal history of the former airman who massacred 26 people at a Texas church in early November was part of a pattern of such lapses. But it's not yet clear how widespread it was. In a statement on Nov. 28, the Air Force blamed failures in "training and compliance measures" for the lapse involving Kelley, who had been convicted of assault in 2012. (Texas Department of Public Safety via AP, File)Photo: Associated Press

AUSTIN — Handgun license holders can carry handguns into churches unless there are posted signs that ban handguns on the premises, Texas’ attorney general said in an opinion Thursday as he sought to clarify the state law in light of last month’s deadly church shooting.

Attorney General Ken Paxton wrote in a legal opinion that he interprets state law as allowing handgun license holder to carry their weapon into a church unless the church “provides effective oral or written notice prohibiting the carrying of handguns on its property … as the law allows.”

The policy treats churches the same as most other private entities by allowing church leadership to decide their gun policy for themselves.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican who leads the state Senate, requested the opinion in the wake of the mass shooting at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs where Devin Patrick Kelley sprayed bullets across the outside of the church before entering the building and shooting congregants, many of whom huddled under pews for protection.

Kelley killed 26 people and injured another 20 before a neighbor intervened, leading the gunman into a shootout that ended in a high-speed car chase. Authorities said Kelley died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head and that the shooting spree stemmed from a domestic dispute.

Paxton, a Republican, suggested after the shooting that churchgoers should consider bringing their guns to church to protect themselves from such attacks.

The issue reignited gun debates across the country. Democrats are pushing for greater gun control while U.S. John Cornyn has pushed for a stronger background check system.

Paxton also said in his opinion Thursday that churches are exempt from private security fees charged to private institutions in the state. That fee is normally $400 the first year and costs $225 annually.